The present invention relates to a twin-disc brake comprising two adjacent rotating discs and two angularly fixed calipers associated respectively with the two discs, each caliper having hydraulic cylinder means receiving piston means capable of applying the pad means axially against the associated disc.
In general, a twin-disc brake is constructed by placing two single-disc brakes circumferentially next to one another. This procedure uses to advantage the traditional technique of single-disc brakes, but has the disadvantage of poor cooling. In fact, the whole circumference of the discs is in practice occupied by the brake components, which leaves insufficient space for ventilation. Moreover, at least some of the brake components and some of their control components are directly exposed to the weather and mud.
To overcome these disadvantages, it has already been proposed to bring the various components of the twin-disc brake together in an angular sector of about 180.degree., which makes it possible amply to expose the discs to the open air adjacent this sector, for goods cooling of the brake. In general, in such brakes, the calipers are fixed both angularly and axially, which involves the presence of hydraulic cylinder means on both sides of each disc for the clamping of the latter between the pads. This type of duplication of the hydraulic cylinder means results in a considerable axial bulk and a high cost.
The present invention relates to a twin-disc brake which is devoid of these disadvantages and in which the calipers are moved towards one another circumferentially so as to leave the discs free over a wide sector, for good ventilation, and in which each caliper is nevertheless of a sliding type with hydraulic cylinder means on only one side of the associated discs, in order to reduce the axial bulk of the brake.